[SOLVED] Install Multiple XP/Vista/PE/2003 from USB

[jaclaz]

This is what I did, I kind of gave up on the idea of a smooth menu where you can install multiple flavours on the fly. But this method still does not work!

For the record, what I suggested lately was NOT to rename ANYTHING:

Generally speaking, two different installs of XP use, say, 95% of the same files.

Now, if you use the normal USBmultiboot setup, and image/backup the resulting install directories, then re-use USBmultiboot for the different install, you can make a compare/diff between the two copies.

Nothing prevents you from having two directories anywhere on the stick, like:

\setup01

and

\setup02

containing the ONLY the files that change between the two versions of setup.

Then you boot from the PE on the stick (or also from a DOS flavour) and simply copy the files in one of the two setup directories overwriting those already in $WIN_NT$.~BT or $WIN_NT$.~LS, writing a simple batch for doing the above should be trivial.

Sure the above is not the "best" way, but "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"

Another possibility, that noone has fully explored AFAIK is method #2 in my post here:

http://www.msfn.org/board/Installing-Unatt...8.html&st=6

I am pretty sure that a very small PE build, probably in the 20 to 40 Mb range should be able to run correctly WINNT32, thus allowing a "real" Windows NT/2K/XP/2003 install from ANY source.

jaclaz

[cdob]

Yep, I went to great lengths to make sure everything is renamed, backed up then made another source, then to restore the previous source i renamed and backed up everything again!

Every single file gets renamed/replaced but txtsetup will still give me errors.

I don't understand clearly: did you hexedited file setupldr.bin?

I get: given a USB hard disk:

File txtsetup.sif renamed to txtset01.sif

Folder $WIN_NT$.~BT renamed to $WIN_01$.~BT

setupldr.bin hexedited:

txtsetup.sif changed to txtset01.sif

$WIN_NT$.~BT changed to $WIN_01$.~BT

Setupldr.bin does boot.

Destination hard disk can be selected. Pressed F3 to cancel at this point.

[andyle2k]

Hex editing won't (or didn't) work because to I think hard drive installations look specifically for the $WIN_NT$.~BT and $WIN_NT$.~LS folders.

What I did was rename those folders for each flavour of XP so if I wanted to change the flavour of XP I would of had to boot into PE or use another comp to rename the current $WIN_NT$.~BT and $WIN_NT$.~LS folders to something else then rename the desired XP source and boot folders into $WIN_NT$.~BT and $WIN_NT$.~LS. I went so far as to rename every single file from the root of the hard drive as well (setupldr.bin, txtsetup.sif, ntldr and so forth).

So just to be completely clear:

- I use multibootxp6.cmd program.

- choose the first XP source

- choose my usb hdd destination

- copy the source and make the boot sectors.

- test with the hard drive and setup will work no problems

- then I would move everything on the hard drive to a different drive (backup)

- use multibootxp6.cmd again.

- choose the second XP source.

- copy the source files and make the boot sectors.

- test the bootable usb hard drive and setup will work again.

- I rename or move everything on the usb hard drive to a sub folder i.e. [XP2]

- I copy back the first XP source

- Boot up from the hdd is fine

- TXTSETUP stage is fine until it starts copying files or format stage which then errors, corrupted or missing files.

[ilko_t]

Just a quick check list- to have lets say XP1 and XP2

In root:

\$win_01$.~bt

\$win_01$.~ls

\$win_02$.~bt

\$win_02$.~ls

ntdetect.com

NTLDR

txtset01.sif

txtset02.sif

setupldr.b01

setupldr.b02

Both HEX edited to $win_01$.~bt and $win_02$.~bt and txtsetup.sif to txtset01.sif and txtset02.sif

SETUPLDR1.bs

SETUPLDR2.bs

Both HEX edited setupldr.bin to setupldr.b01 and setupldr.b02

boot.ini

[Boot Loader]
Timeout=10
Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[Operating Systems]
C:\SETUPLDR1.bs="1. TXT Mode Setup Windows XP1, Do NOT unplug USB-Drive Until After First Logon"
C:\SETUPLDR2.bs="1. TXT Mode Setup Windows XP2, Do NOT unplug USB-Drive Until After First Logon"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="2. GUI Mode Setup Windows XP + First Start XP" /FASTDETECT

In $win_01$.~bt setupdd.sy_ expanded and HEX edited $WIN_NT$ to $WIN_01$ and re-compressed ( necessary ? )

In $win_02$.~bt setupdd.sy_ expanded and HEX edited $WIN_NT$ to $WIN_02$ and re-compressed ( necessary ? )

Did you miss a step? Did I miss a step ?

ilko

[andy_le2k]

Both HEX edited to $win_01$.~bt and $win_02$.~bt and txtsetup.sif to txtset01.sif and txtset02.sif

How would setup know to load txtset01.sif an txtset02.sif?

Every other steps seems right and could possibly work. I think the best way is probably still to boot into PE and run winnt32!

[ilko_t]

I didn't get your question.

Txtsetup.sif is parsed by setupldr.bin. Hex edit all occurrences of txtsetup.sif to txtset01.sif and the latter is used. That's for setupldr.b01.

For setupldr.b02 use txtset02.sif.

Text mode Setup completes fine. GUI part to be tested. There is 1 occurrence in setupdd.sys, may have to be changed too.

PE and winnt32.exe have always been an option, mind you, for many users building PE is hard and unknown, they need just a single install off USB.

edit: GUI part worked just fine, no need to HEX edit setupdd.sys for txtsetup.sif.

Here is the step I forgot in the previous post:

In \$win_01$.~ls\I386\ren_fold.cmd change

ren %USBDRIVE%\txtsetup.sif txtsetup.bak
ren %USBDRIVE%\$WIN_NT$.~BT WIN_NT.BT
ren %USBDRIVE%\$WIN_NT$.~LS WIN_NT.LS

to

ren %USBDRIVE%\txtset01.sif txtset01.bak
ren %USBDRIVE%\$WIN_01$.~BT WIN_01.BT
ren %USBDRIVE%\$WIN_01$.~LS WIN_01.LS

In \$win_01$.~ls\I386\undoren.cmd change

ren %USBDRIVE%\txtsetup.bak txtsetup.sif
ren %USBDRIVE%\WIN_NT.BT $WIN_NT$.~BT
ren %USBDRIVE%\WIN_NT.LS $WIN_NT$.~LS

to

ren %USBDRIVE%\txtset01.bak txtset01.sif
ren %USBDRIVE%\WIN_01.BT $WIN_01$.~BT
ren %USBDRIVE%\WIN_01.LS $WIN_01$.~LS

Do the same for both files in $WIN_02$.~LS and use $WIN_02$.~*** and txtset02.***

Edited March 28, 2008 by ilko_t

[andy_le2k]

Thanks very much for your hard work ilko_t!! Very much appreciated it and I'm glad you got it working.

(Un)fortunately I have to go out with the misses now but would much rather stay in all night and get this to work for me too.

I'll give this a shot when I get home and hopefully I can share some of your success.

Thanks again.

[jaclaz]

After all I wasn't too far off the road.

Strings $WIN_NT$.~BT and $WIN_NT$.~LS are hardcoded in SETUPLDR.BIN, though I don't remember anyone previously experimenting with this, it should be perfectly possible to hexedit SETUPLDR.BIN jsut like we do for \I386 or \minint.

GUI part worked just fine, no need to HEX edit setupdd.sys for txtsetup.sif.

Very good!

PE and winnt32.exe have always been an option, mind you, for many users building PE is hard and unknown, they need just a single install off USB.

Yes, but since andy_le2k already has/wants to have a BartPE.....

But still noone has been documenting the minimal PE files needed to run successfully WINN32....

jaclaz

[wimb]

edit: GUI part worked just fine, no need to HEX edit setupdd.sys for txtsetup.sif.

Congratulations cdob and ilko_t with Multiple XP Install from USB

All Information has been added to New Release of USB_MultiBoot7.zip

Edited March 28, 2008 by wimb

[jaclaz]

Different versions of XP cannot be combined on one stick,

but it is very convenient to use different sticks for this purpose.

May be a second stick with other XP version is more convenient

Congratulations cdob and ilko_t with Multiple XP Install from USB

All Information has been added to New Release of USB_MultiBoot7.zip

Very good!

Just think how much money people will save by avoiding to buy a second USB stick!

Another small victory against the ever increasing entropy.

jaclaz

[OldBuzzard]

Am I to understand that I can have in install for XP Pro and install for XP x64 on one stick, and choose which one I want to install?

[jaclaz]

Am I to understand that I can have in install for XP Pro and install for XP x64 on one stick, and choose which one I want to install?

Not yet, x64 is not fully working, but ilko_t is working on it:

http://www.msfn.org/board/XP-x64-Install-t114022.html

Hopefully it will soon be possible.

jaclaz

[ilko_t]

You should be able to to that, however, using x64 some of the compressed files will get deleted during Text mode. You will need after install to copy AMD64 and I386 folders from your source to ~LS folder, skipping existing files until workaround is found. KillCopy or Volkov Commander are handy for this task.

Note when using usb_multibootX.cmd- bootsectors to be HEX edited setupldr.b01 for multiple OS install are in \btsec on stick, NOT SETUPLDR1.bs and SETUPLDR2.bs in root.

Thanks very much for your hard work ilko_t!! Very much appreciated it and I'm glad you got it working.

Credits should go to their place- cdob Edited March 28, 2008 by ilko_t

[cdob]

no need to HEX edit setupdd.sys for txtsetup.sif.

Thanks, that's better solution. Hexediting idea is outdated from 2006.

Just wondering: there are hard links at NTFS (USB) media

A duplicate file can be replaced by hard link.

example: two times 500 mb installation files maybe require 600 mb space.

And there is Duplicate File Hard Linker (DFHL) http://www.jensscheffler.de/dfhl_en.html

[andyle2k]

Hey guys,

I was just wondering if you guys had that time and effort, can you please write a simple step by step guide to get this to work for idiots like me who still can't?!

I'm getting stuck on how to get the boot sectors to load properly. What do you do to get the setupldr1.bs and setupldr2.bs? - SOLVED - use MakeBS3.cmd from the USB_Multiboot package

Exactly which files need to be hexed and renamed? The ones from the root or the ones inside $WIN_01~.BT or both? - Still a bit unsure about this, apparently you need to hexed setupdd.sys but even with that hexed txtsetup still gives me an error saying it cant find source folders.

And finally what about the .LS folder where the actual source is.. can you just leave it as $WIN_01~.LS or does need to be $WIN_NT~.LS in order for setup to work?

Thanks again.

Edited March 28, 2008 by andyle2k